WE WERE ON A BREAK!

I opted out of posting the Urban Hip Accessories collection this week, and I'm not sorry. It was intentional (although if anyone missed it, I'm pleased that you noticed!).

I took a couple of days off from Etsy this week. Thursday and Friday, I didn't log in at all or even look at the front page, except to answer a convo from a customer. And it was nice. I'd realized that as much as I love Etsy and as grateful as I am for this extraordinary venue, too much time within the walls of craft heaven tends to narrow my world more than I'd like. Used correctly, Etsy expands your world, but the comings and goings of the community were affecting my mood out of all proportion. So I went cold turkey. I got a lot more done a lot faster at the office, and consequently I left early two days in a row and got to enjoy myself out in the world. I read a largish chunk of my current book - Housekeeping vs. the Dirt by Nick Hornby; more on that in another post. I made a bunch of new jewelry, and came up with a new design for lariats using vintage buttons instead of clasps. I felt calmer.

This couldn't last, of course, because I'm an Etsy addict and an Etsy businesswoman, and I started to miss it; however, my time away served as a good reminder of the maxim "all things in moderation." I don't tend to be moderate, ever, but it's good business practice, and good community behavior, to act in moderation. It's good to remember that I have other responsibilities in addition to those I bear towards my customers, most especially a responsibility to balance in my larger life. Perspective is everything, and I enjoyed my two days with a different one.

Thanks for reading; here endeth the lecture.